Tuesday, July 26, 2011

The Boys, Er... Girls Of Summer

On the American military base that I live near in England, they offer Little League baseball for the kids to join. I asked my oldest daughter, LaLa, who is 7, if she would like to join a team.

At this point you're probably thinking, the hell? I thought you lived in Canada and only had sons. You're right on both counts.

She was really keen even though she in all honesty has not been exposed to American sports since moving to the UK nearly 3 year ago. In fact, for the first week of the season she was still calling it cricket. Wrong bat. The season has been going on about a month and she has been steadily improving with each game. Well, as much a child with the attention span of a gnat can improve anyway.

My children have the same attention span and the only thing they could hit with a bat is each other. It's really Kat from 3bedroom who gave me a post because she's awesome like that. Now let's get back to the story, 'cause it's funny.

Last week, during our 3rd game, there was an incident. Ok, there has a been an incident almost every game, but this one took the cake. LaLa's team was out playing defense in the field. LaLa was playing the pitcher position, but since it is coach pitch baseball, she was basically just standing next to the opposing teams coach and waiting (when she was paying attention) for the ball to come her way. There was a little boy from the opposing team standing in the batters box waiting for the pitch to be tossed to him by his coach when all of a sudden LaLa took off running and screeching at the top of her lungs. She went out past the short stop, rounded 3rd base, down the 3rd base line, behind the catcher, down the 1st base line and came to a stop in front of the home team bleachers. When she stopped her eyes were filled with tears and she had a look of absolute panic on her face. Our whole set of bleachers was sitting with our jaws on the floor.

She stood there for a second caught her breath and the with a wild shout said “THERE WAS A BEE!”

I heard some of the parents behind me start giggling and I was in fact trying to hold in my own giggles as I said, “Alright hunny, you can go back to your position. I think you frightened it away!”

A career in sports or the military not likely with that child. *crosses those off the list* No composure during the heat of sporting battle.

I laugh, but I'd do the same thing and sound pretty much the same way. Including the little girl's voice. Whatever, like you're any different.

Thanks for enabling my lazy posting, Kat. Check out Kat if you don't already, she has a great blog, so great that she's actually #8 in the UK which is doubly cool considering she's not even English. Her Dear So & So posts every Friday are always entertaining. She also posts more than hardly ever.

My brother used to sit in the outfield and look for 4 leaf clover. On the other hand, I turned cartwheels in the outfield and then got sent to 2nd base so I would pay attention. There I humiliated myself until I quit that darned sport.

I have been coaching rec soccer for 6 glorious seasons...maybe if I unleash some bees they will move a little faster! I wonder if people thought she was screaming and running to break up the boredom of the game...I would've! Super fun post--so fun we might excuse your partial absence!

I didn't get to play baseball when I was a girl because we weren't allowed. Yes, I'm dating myself. Also, if it were me and the bee, the bee would win. I speak from experience. I sat on a nest of them once. Bees (bites): 7. Me: 0 (and nauseated).